Stevie Wonder recently addressed speculation that he can actually see.
During a show in Cardiff, Wales, the legendary musician addressed all the speculation head-on, while fans enjoyed his latest gig as part of his ‘Love, Light and Song’ tour.
In a moment that has since gone viral, Wonder decided to confront decades-old conspiracy theories about his blindness with characteristic grace and wisdom.
The reason why this speculation has been rife for such a long time stems from various celebrity encounters that seemed to suggest Wonder could see.
A story previously detailed by Shaquille O’Neal about an encounter he had with Wonder in an elevator seemingly started it all off, per TNT.
The sporting star lived in the same apartment complex in Los Angeles as Wonder when the chance encounter happened. While the valets were hard at work parking Wonder’s car, the singer headed towards the lobby where O’Neal was waiting in the lift.
Despite not being able to see, Wonder allegedly recognized the famed NBA player immediately.
O’Neal explained: “He comes in, says ‘what’s up Shaq’. Presses the button, it’s a true story, presses the button, gets off on his floor by himself, goes to his room. I went and called every person I knew and told the story. They didn’t believe me.”
Anthony Anderson is another person to have contributed to the theory after sharing a story of playing basketball with Wonder.
Speaking on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Anderson said: “What you all don’t know is Stevie can see. It’s just an act. Yes, I did challenge him to a game of one-on-one basketball for a charity event he does for his son for intercity youth.
“He said, ‘Anthony, I don’t want to embarrass you one-on-one, so let’s just do it free throws, and he won… Stevie Wonder won.”
Contrary to some beliefs, Wonder was not blind at birth. He lost his vision at around six weeks old due to a condition called retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).
Because the famed musician was premature, he was placed in an incubator for the first part of his life. The incubator contained too much oxygen, which led to ROP developing.
ROP is an eye disease that impacts premature babies, where abnormal blood vessels grow in the retina, per the Cleveland Clinic.
The growth can lead to vision loss or even blindness if it’s not treated quickly. This medical explanation has been consistent throughout Wonder’s career, yet conspiracy theories have persisted.
Wonder has been extremely open about his loss of vision throughout his career. In 2024, he shared how his mother, Lula Mae Hardaway, struggled with the news at first. Despite her reaction, Wonder kept a positive outlook.
“I was born. Shortly after that, I’m blind,” he expressed in an episode of ‘The Wonder of Stevie‘ audiobook series. “My mother went through the different things, and so my experience with that was deep.”
Wonder noted that his mother, who died in 2006, would cry ‘every night’ after he was diagnosed.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer finally said to her: “Mama, you shouldn’t cry, you’re making my head hurt.”
“And I said, ‘Maybe God has something for me that’s bigger than all this,’” Wonder recounted. “History proved that true.”
In 2004, Wonder detailed his upbringing for O, The Oprah Magazine, explaining how his mother helped him develop independence: “She didn’t bind me up. She wasn’t like, ‘Don’t step there!’ or ‘Watch out, you’ll fall!’ She’d tell me to be careful, but I was going to do what I was going to do. She was just fast enough to catch me.”
He went on to explain his remarkable spatial awareness: “She saw that I’d developed what’s called facial radar, meaning that I could hear the sound of objects around me.
“If you close your eyes and put your hands right in front of your face, then move your hands, you can actually hear the sound of the air bouncing off your hands.”
The artist has also kept a great sense of humor regarding his disability.
Wonder got candid on his friendship with Jamie Foxx while presenting the actor with the Ultimate Icon Award at the 2025 BET Awards, the New York Post reports.
“He hit me up because of his win for ‘Ray.’ And I said, ‘You know Jamie, just because you play a blind man that doesn’t mean that we’re besties, okay?’” he joked at the time.
Now, addressing the rumors in a video shared by the Cardiff Life Instagram page, Wonder said: “I must say to all of you, something that I was thinking, ‘When did I want to let the world know this?’
But I wanted to say it right now. You know, there have been rumors about me seeing and all that? But seriously, you know the truth.”
Setting the record straight, the 75-year-old added: “Truth is, shortly after my birth, I became blind. Now, that was a blessing because it’s allowed me to see the world in the vision of truth, of sight.
“See people in the spirit of them, not how they look. Not what color they are, but what color is their spirit?”
Stevie Wonder finally addresses the long-running rumors that he can actually see pic.twitter.com/LSHeIVgSoK
— RNB RADAR (@RNB_RADAR) July 14, 2025